Heat transferring means



Feb. 28, 1939- J. w. M CLATCHIE HEAT TRANSFERRING MEANS Filed April 2 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l W 0 a H E I I I WHH W7 mm um #1 I w wmu w m r I m w E I HmWm. 1 ill .1 3 a.

a2 6/b O ATTORNEY.

Feb. 28, 1939.

J. w. M cLATcHlE HEAT TRANSFERRING MEANS Filed April 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. I Jbfin WMac Cid Elba,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 28, 1939 STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

"This "invention is a heat transferring means, particularly applicable to those parts of an internal combustion engine which are dimcult to properly cool,:such as the valves and the spark plugs;

-It is an object of the invention to circulate a cooling medium closely adjacent the part which it is desired to adequately cool, without thereby developing structural weakness. In the case of valves this result may .be obtained -by=circulating a cooling medium in an annular passageway which is closely adjacent but out of communication with the-=valve contacting surface of the valve seau and which is so arranged as to-maintain the desired structural strength 'at the valve seat. In the case of 'spark plugs a similar annular passageway may be provided adjacent but closed to the 'bore which receives the spark plug, with the passageway so arranged -;as to not unduly weaken the structure proximate :to said bore.

It is a further objectof the invention to form the annular passageway 'by means of a groove in the surface of an iannulus which is preferably a unitary structure separate from but mounted in the engine block, and this :unit will be a valve seat annulus when the invention is applied to valves, and will be -a bushing adapted to receive aspark plug when the invention is applied to sparkiplugs.

It is a still turther obiect of the invention to arrange the :groove so that in cross-section it extends to :a point closely adjacent the valve seating surface at the inner periphery of a valve seat annulus or 'closel-y adjacent the threaded inner periphery of a bushing into which a spark plug Iis :screwed, while maintaining such wall thickness ifor the :groove adjacent said point of closest proximity :as will :avoid unduly weakening the valve :seat 'orthe threaded bore for the spark plug.

:It is 'a' -still further object of the invention to provide communication with the annular groove via conduits in theeng-i-ne block, whereby a cooling medium may be supplied to the annular groove for flow around the groove and discharge therefrom at a circumferentially spacedpoint; and these conduits may :open to the atmosphere for circulating air as the cooling medium, or may be incorporated in a pressure system providing forced circulation for the cooling medium,- which may be air, water, or other suitable fluid. I

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood from the following description of the'accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is *aplan view "of a cylinder of a radial cyllinder fengine, :partly in section to show the invention :applied to the exhaust valve :and to a bushing in which a spark plug :is mounted.

Fig. 2 risfa side elevation of the cylinder, partly ;5 in section .on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. -3 is'a Trout 'elevation'of the cylinder,.showing a modified means 'for *circulating a cooling medium around the :exhaust valve.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section through 2. cyl- 10 inder-in-line engine, showing the invention applied to :-an exhaust valve and to the bushing inwhichaspark plug is mounted, and showing a further modification of the means for circulating a cooling medium around the exhaust valve and 15 around the spark plug.

The-invention contemplates circulation of any desired cooling medium around those parts of a structure such as an internal combustion engine which "are liable to 'overheat. (For example the 20 cooling medium maybe air; circulated by the draft created by propulsion of any land, water or air transport :means which is propelled by an air-cooled internal combustion engine, or in such construction a "fluid other than air may be circulated in a closed system which includes any suitable m'eansrfor forcing-circulation; or the invention may beembodied in a water jacketed internal combustion engine,=in whichcase the cooling medium may :be water drawn from the wa- 3O ter jacket.

At Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a part of one of the cylinders of -a radial-cylinder internal combustion engine of the type employed in aircraft, the direction of airflow resulting from pro- 35 pulsion of the aircraft in which the engine is mounted, being indicated by the arrow X. The cylinder is shown at I having a usual cylinder head :2, from which depend intake and exhaust chambers -'45 at the front of the cylinder head 40 with relation to the direction of airflow as indicated 'by the arrow X.

- The valveseat for-the exhaust valve is an annulus '6 which may be a separate unit from the casting forming the cylinder head 2, adapted 45 for mounting in an annular recess 1 which is formed in the bore of the exhaust chamber 5. The annulusS may be fixed in place in any suitable !manner, as for example by shrinking the annulus 6 into its cooperating recess 1; and the boreof the annulus 6 forms a usual seating surface 8 for an exhaust valve 9, the seating surface 8 being preferably beveled as shown at Fig. 2.

Air may :be circulatedaround the exhaust valve .andalso around the spark plugs for the cylinder,

in order to adequately cool these parts which are liable to overheat.

The air for cooling the exhaust valve may be circulated around the annulus 6 which forms the Valve seat, and for this purpose the annulus 6, prior to insertion in recess 1, may be provided with an annular groove i0, preferably in its outer peripheral surface. The cross-sectional area of the groove l0 preferably has a major axis and a minor axis, i. e., measured along its major axis it has a greater dimension than measured along its minor axis, and the major axis, indicated at AA, is preferably substantially perpendicular to the inclined seating surface 8 as shown at Fig. 2. The groove may thus be'of maximum cross-sectional area without unduly weakening the annulus 6, and the base of the groove is preferably curved as shown at Illa, so that the minimum wall thickness between the groove l0 and the seating surface 8 is approximately medial of the width of said seating surface, with the wall thickness then increasing at each side of the major axis AA and thus providing an arched structure insuring adequate strength at the seating surface 8, and the side wall of the groove [0 which is adjacent the bore of the annulus B is preferably a curvedcontinuation of the curved base of the groove, with these curvatures defining a wall thickness between the groove l0 and the bore of the annulus 6 whereby the fluid in the groove I0 is brought into close proximity to the seating surface 8, and the groove extends closest to the bore of the annulus 5 at a portion of the length of said bore which is adjacent said seating surface.

Supply and discharge conduits l2l3 provide for circulating air around the groove l0, and these conduits are formed in the valve chamber 5 and communicate with the annular recess 1 at circumferentially spaced points, so that when the annulus 6 is in place the conduits I2--l3 communicate with the groove H]. To insure a part of the air circulating around each side of the annular groove II] the conduits l2l3 may each consist of a pair of laterally spaced parallel conduits as shown at Fig. 1, and baffles l4l5 may extend across the groove [0 between the pair of supply conduits l2 and between the pair of discharge conduits 13 Air supplied at the conduits I2 is thus directed around the re spective sides of annular groove ill for discharge at the respective conduits l3.

An air intake I6 communicates with the pair of conduits l2, and is shown as a funnel projecting forwardly from the exhaust chamber 5 and open to the atmosphere at its forward end whereby airflow in the direction of the arrow X will be directed into the conduits l2 and thence around the groove Ill. A jet action may be provided for increasing the velocity of the airflow in conduits l2, and for this purpose conduits IZa may communicate with the inner restricted end of funnel l6 and gradually taper toward their inner ends as shown at Fig. 2 so as to form restricted nozzles which open into the respective conduits [2 at points spaced inwardly from the outer ends of said conduits so that the airflow discharged from the restricted nozzles ll2a into the conduits l2 creates a jet action for increasing the air flow through the grooves l0, and a transverse partition may divide the funnel l6 into upper and lower chambers I6al6b, which respectively communicate with the conduits |2-l2a. The pair of discharge conduits l3 preferably open into an air outlet H which projects laterally and rearwardly from the exhaust chamber 5 and which opens to the atmosphere at its outer flaring end, whereby airflow past the cylinder creates suction at the outlet I! for increasing the flow of air around the groove H).

A pair of spark plugs 20 are preferably mounted in the cylinder head 2; and for this purpose a threaded opening 2| is formed in the cylinder head above each of the intake and exhaust chambers 45, and a closure plug 22 is threaded into each of these openings with a bushing 23 threaded into each of the closure plugs and adapted for threaded reception of a spark plug. A cap 24 is preferably mounted on each closure plug 22 with vertical heat radiating fins 25 projecting from the cap; and the cap 24 is preferably rotatably adjustable on the closure plug' 22 so that irrespective of the position to which the closure plug is turned when it is screwed into the opening 2|, the cap 24 may be turned so that its flns 25 aline with heat radiating fins 26 which project vertically from the cylinder head 2 and which extend in the direction of airflow indicated by the arrow X. A flange 20a of the spark plug may overlie and engage the edge of cap 24 when the spark plug is screwed into place, in order to secure the cap in its rotatably adjusted position.

Air is circulated around the spark plugs, and for this purpose each bushing 23 is provided with an annular groove 30, which in cross-section extends toward the bore of the bushing so as to leave a minimum wall thickness at some point along the length of the bore whereby air in the groove 30 is brought into close proximity to the spark plug, and the base of the groove is preferably curved as shown at 3011 so that the wall thickness gradually increases from this point of minimum thickness, in order to provide an arched structure insuring adequate strength at the mounting for the spark plug.

Supply and discharge openings provide for circulating air around the groove 30, and may consist of a pair of supply ports 32 and a pair of discharge ports 33 formed in the cap 24 so as to communicate with the groove 30 at diametrically opposite points; and bafiles 34-35 preferably depend from the cap 24 between the pair'of supply ports and between the pair of discharge ports so that the baflles extend into the groove 39 when the cap 24 is in place. The air which is supplied at the ports 32 is thus directed by the baffles around the respective sides of the annular groove 30 for discharge at the respective ports 33.

An air intake 36 communicates with the supply ports 32, and is shown as a funnel integral with the cap 24 and projecting upwardly and forwardly from the ports 32 and open at its forward end whereby airflow in the direction of the arrow X is directed into the funnel 36 and thence around the groove 3|]. A similar air outlet funnel 31 communicates with the discharge ports 33, and projects upwardly and rearwardly from the ports 33 with its outer end opening rearwardly whereby the airflow creates suction at the outlet for increasing airflow around the groove 30. The funnels 3B3l are pref-erably diametrically opposite one another and extend in the direction of fins 25, so that when the cap 24 is turned so as to aline the flns 25-26 the funnels 363l are 'alined with the direction of airflow as indicated by the arrow X; and by projecting the baflles 3435 from the rotatably adjustable cap 24, the baffles direct the airflow equally around the respective sides of the annular groove 30, ir-

respective of the position to which the cap 24 is-t'iirne withrelation tothe bushing 23 and the plug 22?. f 1

Inth'e modification of' the invention shown at Fig: 3} the construction is the same as that previously described except that a closed fluid circulating; system i'siprovided' for directing fluid around the-exhaust valve. This fluid'may be water or other suitable heat absorbing medium,

and isfsu'ppli'ed via conduit 65 and returned via' conduitSG- these conduits being connected to any suitable circulating system which may include, aqiusua'l pump'and radiator (not shown). The valveseat for the exhaust valve is of the same construction as' shown at Fig. 2, including an" annular" Gc'formin'g the-valve seat 80 and grooved as shown at I; and a pair of supply conduitsflc"extend through the exhaust cham-- ber 50 and open into the groove 100 withthe outer ends of said conduits forming a nipple 67 to which the pipe 65 is connected. A pair of discharge conduits'l'3c also extend through the exhaust chamber 50 and open into the groove lllc in .circumferentially spaced relation from the supply conduits l2c as explained in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, and the outer ends of the discharge conduits form a nipple 68 to which the pipe, 65 is connected. The circulating system to which pipes 65-66 are connected thus provides for circulating a suitable fluid around the groove Hlc for cooling the exhaust valve, and the fluid may be directed around both sides of the annular groove byproviding bafiles (not shown) in the groove between the pair of supply ports I20 and between the pair of discharge ports I30, in the manner described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

A cooling medium is preferably also circulated around the spark plugs 20; but circulation via a closed circulating system similar to that which includes the supply conduit 65 and the return conduit 66 is not shown for the spark plugs, the illustrated embodiment having simply the same type of draft circulation for the spark plugs as previously explained in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. Of this construction only the intake funnels 36, the caps 24 and the closure plugs 2| are visible in Fig. 3.

At Fig. 4 I have shown the invention embodied in a cylinder-in-line internal combustion engine. A part of the engine is shown, including cylinder block 50 water-jacketed in usual manner as shown at 5!, and having a cylinder head 52 which is water-jacketed as shown at 53. The intake and exhaust chambers for one of the cylinders are shown at 4d-5d.

A cooling medium may be circulated around the exhaust valve and around the spark plug for the cylinder.

For the purpose of cooling the exhaust valve its valve seat may be constructed as explained in connection with Figs. 1 and 2, i. e. an annulus 602 is seated in an annular recess 1d and forms a valve seat 8d, and the annulus 6d is grooved as shown at lild for circulation of a cooling medium. The cooling medium may be any suitable fluid supplied in any suitable manner, and for purpose of illustration is shown as the water which circulates in water-jacket 5|. As an instance of this arrangement a pair of parallel laterally spaced conduits l2d (only one of which is shown) may communicate with the water jacket 5i and extend through the cylinder block which is shown)- communicate with the water jacket 5i and extend through the cylinder block so as to open into the groove id at a point which is preferably diametrically opposite the ctmduits 22d. Bafiles l4d'l5d such as described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2 preferably extend across the groove Hid between the pair of conduits I'E'dand between the pair of conduits l'3'd, for directing a part' of the cooling medium around each side of the annular groove I011.

The spark plug 206 for the cylinder is preferably threaded into a bushing 23d which is seated in the cylinder head 52 in any usual manner; and for the purpose of cooling the spark plug the bushing 23dmay be grooved as shown at 30d, the groove 36d being preferably similar to the groove iil'd in the annulus 6d. A cooling medium is circulated around the groove 311d, and

coolii'igmedium may be water from the water jacket 53. For this purpose pairs of laterally spaced conduits 3 2d- -33d, diametrically opposite one-another, may open through the cylinder head from the water jacket 53 into the groove 3011, with baiiles 3l-35d preferably extending across thegroove 36d between the pair of conduits 32d and between the pair of conduits 33d, so as to direct a part of the cooling medium around each side of the annular groove 30d.

I claim:

1. In combination, a structure having a surface liable to become heated when the structure is in use and having an annular passageway in said structure proximate to said surface and open at one side to the exterior, a cap for said structure, and an air intake on the cap, the cap being mounted on the said structure for adjustment relative thereto concentrically with the annular passageway to position the air intake in a desired direction, and the cap having a port opening therethrough from the air intake, the cap overlying and forming a closure for the open side of the annular passageway, and the port providing communication with the annular passageway throughout said adjustment of the cap.

2. In combination, a structure having a surface liable to become heated when the structure is in use and having a passageway in said structure proximate to said surface and open to the exterior of said structure at one side of said passageway, and directing means for a fluid mounted on the said structure for adjustment relative thereto to position the directing means in a desired direction, the directing means having a port opening therethrough the directing means overlying and forming a closure for the open side of the passageway, and the port providing communication with the passageway throughout said adjustment of the directing means.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a spark plug for the engine, and means for directing a fluid toward the spark plug radially thereof and thence past the spark plug, said means being mounted on the engine for adjustment relative thereto to position said directing means in a desired direction radially of the spark plug.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a memher having a bore, an annular passageway in said member proximate to and surrounding said bore, a cap for said member having a bore alining with the first mentioned bore and rotatably adjustable relative to the said member, an air intake and a diametrically opposite air outlet on the cap, the cap having ports opening from the air intake and the air outlet and communicating with the annular passageway throughout rotatable adjustment of the cap, and a spark plug received in saidalined bores and having a fiange engaging the cap to hold it in rotatably adjusted position.

5. In a structure having a fin at its outer surface, a spark plug in an opening in the said structure, a closure for said-opening, a fin on said closure, and means for adjusting the last mentioned fin for alining it with the first mentioned fin.

6. In an internal combustion engine having parallel heat radiating fins at its outer surface, a spark plug in an opening in the wall of the engine, a closure for said opening, a cap for said closure having parallel heat radiating fins at its outer surface, and means for adjusting the caprelative to the closure for alining the fins of the cap with the fins of the engine.

7. In combination, an element having a bore for a spark plug and a passageway in said element proximate to said bore, and an element cooperating with the first mentioned element and including air directing meansopen to the atmosphere at the exterior of the first mentioned element, one of said cooperating elements including means providing restricted communication between the passageway and the air directing means, and one of said cooperating elements including means for closing the passageway to the atmosphere except via said restricted communication.

8. In an internal combustion engine, a member having a bore, an annular passageway in said member proximate to said bore, a cap for said member having a bore alining with the first mentioned bore and rotatably adjustable relative to the said member, an air intake and an air outlet on the cap, the cap having ports opening from the air intake and the air outlet and communicating with the annular passageway throughout rotatable adjustment of the cap, and a spark plug received in said alined bores.

JOHN W. MACCLATCHIE. 

